These milk chocolate mocha blondies are filled with sweet chocolate and topped with a simple espresso glaze. They’re chewy, dense, and buttery without tasting overly greasy. From mixing bowl to oven in about 10 minutes, this is an easy bar dessert that packs big flavor.
In case you love to drink your coffee and eat it too, I have plenty of mocha or coffee desserts. Today’s recipe joins a handful of coffee-inspired favorites including this lovely espresso chocolate chip cake, these Baileys & coffee cupcakes, these stamped chocolate espresso cookies, and the always lovely tiramisu.
Tell Me About These Milk Chocolate Mocha Blondies
- Texture: Sitting somewhere between a fudge-like brownie and crumbly cookie bar, these blondies are soft, chewy, and buttery all in one bite. Try one warmed in the microwave for 10-15 seconds alongside your coffee. It’s dessert divinity.
- Flavor: The blondies have 3 main flavors. In the forefront, you’ll taste sweet milk chocolate. Lots of it. After that your taste buds are hit with rich espresso flavor. Finally, you have alllllll the butter richness from the blondie base. What a trio.
- Ease: Easy like your Sunday morning coffee.
- Time: They’re thicker than a couple other blondie recipes I’ve published, so they’ll take a couple extra minutes. However, we’re still looking at a 30-35 minute bake time. After that, it’s best to wait at least 1-2 hours before cutting into squares. You can try cutting them warm, but they’ll taste pretty cakey. Give them time to settle because it will help improve their texture and flavor. (Easier to cut when cooled, too!)
One reader, Sarah, commented: “These blondies were a quick bake and turned out very tasty! I used dark chocolate chips and the 3 teaspoons of espresso powder in the bars. It resulted in a lovely balance of chocolate and coffee! ★★★★★”
One reader, Lisa, commented: “Absolute perfection. I used 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate. The blondies were exactly as you described. The only downside is portion control. I want to eat the whole pan! ★★★★★”
Think of blondies as brown sugar brownies. They’re not cake, they’re dense. To help us achieve this special blondie texture, we use melted butter, an extra egg yolk, all brown sugar, and very little baking powder. Have you ever tried my coconut blondies? In that recipe, I spread the blondies into a large 9×13 inch pan. We’re starting with (mostly) the same recipe today, but squeezing the batter into a 9-inch square pan for thicker, denser bars. That’s how we prepare snickerdoodle blondies, too.
A Few Notes About These Milk Chocolate Mocha Blondies
- Use melted butter. Feel free to use brown butter if you have a couple extra minutes to spare. However with so much espresso and chocolate flavor, I felt the brown butter flavor got lost. I use 1 cup (2 sticks; 16 Tbsp) of butter in my dark chocolate coconut blondies, but reduced it down to 14 Tbsp here. With 2 full sticks, the blondies can sometimes taste greasy. Since I slightly reduced the butter, I very slightly reduced the sugar as well.
- Extra egg yolk: You need 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk. The extra egg yolk promises a chewier, denser texture. Without it, the blondies taste a little dry and sandy. I know it’s a little inconvenient to have an extra egg white, but throw it into your morning egg scramble or use it as the egg wash on a pie crust.
- Add espresso powder: For concentrated coffee flavor, use espresso powder. Espresso powder isn’t simply ground coffee beans—it’s very dark and concentrated instant coffee that dissolves in warm liquid. You can find it in most major grocery stores in the coffee aisle or purchase it online. I love and usually use King Arthur brand. If you pick up a new jar, know that you’ll use it often your baking. It’s fantastic in recipes like chocolate cake because it helps bring out a rich chocolate flavor. Here are all of my recipes using espresso powder if you need ideas. You can substitute instant coffee if needed, see recipe note.
- Pick your chocolate: I originally tested this recipe with white chocolate—and the blondies were incredible—but I loved the milk chocolate version more. I used Guittard Organic Milk Chocolate Baking Wafers in the pictured blondies. Feel free to use milk chocolate chips or chopped Hershey’s bars. Instead of milk chocolate, use the same amount of white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or dark chocolate. Chips, chunks, or wafers. Whatever you love! You can take your pick of chocolate in these dark chocolate cranberry blondies, too. Give those a try next!
Success Tip: Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the blondies before slicing and serving. I use the same tip when making rice krispie treats and M&M cookie bars, too.
Espresso Glaze
The glaze topping is optional, but I know you’ll love it. Honestly, glaze always looks and tastes fancy on cookies and bars, but takes 2 minutes to make. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder in 1 Tablespoon warm water. Mix this extra concentrated espresso with confectioners’ sugar and a little milk or cream.
When drizzled on lightly, the espresso glaze will eventually set, making these bars easy to stack, store, and transport if needed.
*Totally acceptable for breakfast.*
More Bar Desserts
- Scotcheroos
- Peanut Butter Blondies
- Mocha Cheesecake Brownies
- Salted Caramel Turtle Brownies
- Pecan Pie Bars
Milk Chocolate Mocha Blondies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 16 blondies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These milk chocolate mocha blondies are extra flavorful with espresso powder, butter, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and a hefty dose of vanilla extract. Add an extra egg yolk for the best texture. Review recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 14 Tablespoons (196g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled (see note)
- 3 or 4 teaspoons espresso powder (see note)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (1 heaping cup) milk chocolate (discs, chopped bars, or chips)
Espresso Glaze
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 Tablespoon warm water
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square pan or line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished blondies out (makes cutting easier). Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and espresso powder together. Whisk in the brown sugar until combined, then whisk in the egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk or stir until combined. Batter is pretty heavy and thick, so I usually use a silicone spatula. Fold in the chocolate.
- Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean. A couple moist crumbs are ok, as long as it’s not wet. Remove from the oven and cool blondies completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the glaze: Using a fork, mix the espresso powder and warm water together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and milk/cream. For thinner glaze, whisk in more milk/cream. For thicker glaze, whisk in more confectioners’ sugar.
- Drizzle over cooled blondies. Lift the blondies out using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover blondies (with glaze) at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Blondies without glaze are fine covered at room temperature for a week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: It’s easiest to freeze the bars without the glaze topping, then glaze before serving. To freeze, cool blondies completely. Cut into squares and layer between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before glazing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Butter: You need 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp of butter. I typically use 1 cup (16 Tbsp) in my blondies, but reduced it down to 14 Tbsp here. With 1 cup, the blondies can sometimes taste greasy.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder is like instant espresso. You can find it in the coffee aisle or purchase it online. Use it in both the blondie batter and glaze. Use 4 teaspoons (recommended) in the blondie batter for rich coffee flavor or 3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) for a milder flavor. You can substitute instant coffee granules (not ground coffee) if needed. If using instant coffee, I recommend using 4 and 1/2 teaspoons in the blondie batter and for the glaze, use 1 teaspoon dissolved in 1 Tablespoon warm water.
- Milk Chocolate: I used Guittard Organic Milk Chocolate Baking Wafers in the pictured blondies. I found them at my regular grocery store. Feel free to use milk chocolate chips or chopped Hershey’s bars. Instead of milk chocolate, use the same amount of white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or dark chocolate. Chips, chunks, wafers, or 2 chopped 4-ounce bars.
- Best Pan to Use: A 9-inch square pan is best. An 8-inch square pan is a little too small. You can spread the batter into a 9×13-inch pan for thinner blondies. Do your best to spread the batter to each edge of the pan. Bake time is around 28-30 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Most parts of this recipe sounds heavenly BUT I hate coffee in any form. I’m going to give these a try without the espresso and coffee parts. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Hi, can I leave out the espresso powder completely? Will the texture change?
Hi Nit, the texture will not change. You can leave it out. For the icing, just replace the water with more milk/cream and add a splash of vanilla extract.
You mentioned freezing the baked blondies, but can I freeze the dough?
I want to make the dough in advance and bake a few days down the line.
Hi RH, Although we usually freeze the baked bars, it should be fine to freeze the dough.
My first time using espresso powder, what a great ingredient! I also love that you give the amounts in grams, I prefer that method. Thanks for a recipe that tastes wonderful and takes not a lot of effort!
what can i sub for brown sugar? will caster or demrera work? thanks
Hi Shreeya, the brown sugar is key to the blondies’ taste and chewy texture. We don’t recommend any substitutions.
I loved them! The coffee flavor is divine!
These blondies were a quick bake and turned out very tasty! I used dark chocolate chips and the 3 tsp espresso powder in the bars. It resulted in a lovely balance of chocolate and coffee!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it is a hit with my friends! I love how quickly it comes together, it’s a great recipe to make on short notice. I use an 8 inch square pan and increase the baking time by about 10 minutes – it yields a gooey, soft middle with a lightly crispy, chewy exterior! So decadent that it doesn’t really need the glaze.
Much too greasy.
Does not give expected blondie texture.
Used the same pan size as listed.
Instant coffee is not a suitable replacement for espresso powder as it will not dissolve in the melted butter. If the instant coffee was meant to be dissolved in water for the blondie batter as well as for the glaze, the wording should be clearer. I boiled off some of the water from the butter, reweighed, and dissolved the instant coffee in the amount of water that was lost in order to mix it into the butter.
Have liked other recipes from this website but making this was a waste of ingredients.
Yet again another recipe that did not disappoint. I’ve never had a blondie let alone make one but the picture looked good and figured how could I go wrong with espresso…even my hubby loved them and he hates coffee. I’ll try one of your other blondie recipe’s for him but this ones a keeper for me.
Cheers
I used half espresso chips and half milk chocolate. I also followed Sally’s advice for instant coffee and the flavor did not disappoint. I feel like my glaze needed about twice the sugar to look the way Sally’s did, though. Despite my troublesome glaze, there were a big hit and totally delicious!
I have never used unsalted butter. How would using salted butter change the outcome?
Hi Janet, If you use salted butter you can cut the salt in the recipe in half.
Made these for the first time as I was wanting to use up some leftover Halloween candy. I’m also a HUGE coffee fan! These were quick and easy to make. I used Aero chocolate bars. The blondies were a perfect addition to my afternoon tea! Next time I think I’ll add an extra teaspoon of spresso to see if I can bring out more of the coffee flavor!
Hi! Can i do them without the glaze or coffee?
Hi Valeria, That would be fine. You may like one of the other blondies recipes, if you want to try another recipe.
Sooooo delicious. Followed recipe exactly as written. Thought about not doing the glaze since they are so good on their own but the glaze really takes it to the next level. Loved it and definitely worth the extra step. Thank you!!!
Hi Sally! If I want to bake in a 9×13 pan and maintain the same thickness, would I 1.5x or 2x the recipe? Thanks much!
Hi Jamila, for a thicker pan of 9×13 blondies, we’d recommend 1.5x the recipe (2x would be too much). Let us know how it turns out!
OMG your recipes never fail me and everyone thinks I am a wizard baker haha. Thanx a lot!
Hello there. I use grams when I bake and I noticed in your notes that you say to remove some of the butter? So am I to use 200g or if less how many grams should I take off? Thankyou. X
Hi Angela! The 200g measurement is what you will use. The notes mention that sometimes I use more than that, but they can taste greasy that way. Stick with what’s listed. (200g)
Thankyou for quick reply. I’m just writing this recipe out now and I cant wait to try it as they sound delicious and right up my street. Thankyou again, and I will let you know how they turn out. Xx
Delish as per usual! My co-workers love the baking I bring in (thanks to your recipes!
I used semisweet chocolate chips because I’m not a fan of milk chocolate. Super yum yum!
Can I add chopped walnuts or pecans? If yes, how much and should I then reduce the amount of chocolate?
Definitely! Keep the total amount of add ins to about 1 heaping cup – you could do 1/2 cup of each. Enjoy!
Absolute perfection. I used 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate. The blondies were exactly as your described. The only downside is portion control. I want to eat the whole pan!
I made these following the recipe exactly, specifically using the recommended size of tin and cooking for the recommended length of time. they were very tasty. but definitely not blondies. more like a thin mocha cake bar. not gooey at all. dryer than expected, and thinner. i think if i’d used this recipe in a smaller tin and baked for a shorter time they would have been much better. i still enjoyed them, but disappointed they weren’t the blondie texture i was hoping for
Thank you for another great recipe,i followed the recipe exactly,the batter went so flat when it came out of the oven
i used 13*9 inch pan as instructed but the blondies came out so thin,tastes great but so thin,no idea why.
Hi Jala, using a 9×13 pan definitely works, but you can expect much thinner blondies using that size. For thicker blondies, a square 9×9 pan is best. Thank you for giving these a try — we’re glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you so much
i will definitely do that next time
Absolutely delicious once again Sally! Loved the combo of coffee and chocolate (I used dark chocolate) and was plenty sweet for me with 50g less sugar. The blondie texture is simply divine! Crispy on the edge, chewy fudge middle and gorgeous crinkly top 🙂 I’ll be making this one over again, thanks!
Hey sally,
I have made these twice now and they are delish, however, they always turn out super gooey. Almost like they are raw but the toothpick comes out clean. Are they just supposed to be more fudgy than cake like?
Hi Brandon, yes these are a very rich and brownie-like bar.
Hi Sally! I made these beauties and had to freeze 1/2 of them so we didn’t gobble them all down. They froze beautifully and . . . I also froze the glaze separately! It worked! I’ve done that before with the glaze for cinnamon rolls, which also worked. I find this a game changer, especially because it’s rare we need a whole pan of glazed [anything]. Ate the frozen ones, glazed, last night. Very, very good! Thanks for all your great recipes!!
Hi! You mentioned freezing the glaze. Did you do anything in particular after, or just let the glaze come up to room temp before glazing the bars you had frozen?
Super yummy! My whole family loves them! Thanks!
Mine turned out flat, greasy and hard as a brick! I followed the recipe exactly. What did I do wrong?? Am I the only one?
Same here, not sure what went wrong. I have always had great luck with other recipes from this website.
Sounds like you baked them too long
Did you let your melted butter cool a bit before adding the sugars? Sometimes if you don’t do this, your cookies or blondies in this case will have a greasy texture.
I made these for my family and they loved them! I used dark chocolate chips and espresso chips. Easy recipe to follow and comes together quickly. Thanks Sally!
Just made these this morning and they are AMAZING!! I highly recommend making them. I also wanted to share that I picked up some Nestle Espresso Morsels (aka chocolate chips with coffee in them) at the store and I mixed 4 ounces of chopped milk chocolate and a cup of the espresso morsels in the batter for even more coffee flavor! Thanks for all the great recipes, Sally!